But first, let’s quickly recap what happened in 2010, which was a fantastic year for Modernizr. We had the major 1.5 release really hitting it big, the incremental 1.6 and small site update, and finishing off the year by winning the Open Source Application of the Year category at the 2010 .net Awards. We’d like to thank all of our contributors for their hard work making this such a great open source application. But looking forward to 2011, we have so much more in store for you that 2010 will appear mundane by comparison.

We’re kicking it off with some pretty exciting news right away. First, we’ve expanded our team to include Alex Sexton. Due to this addition we’ve also formalized our individual roles in the Modernizr Team, as such:

Second, Alex has been working on something we’ve all wanted since the day Modernizr was released, and that’s the ability to customize your own download of the library to only include the tests that you want. This functionality was kept out for simplicity’s sake originally, but has become sorely needed since then. Thanks to Alex, Modernizr 2 will have this functionality—and even better than originally imagined, too. The original plan involved a server-side compiler, but Alex’s fine work, unofficially named Modulizr, has brought us an all-client side builder.

This very first beta introduces the customizability of Modernizr 2, allowing you to pick and choose the tests you want in your production-optimized download. We’d love to get your feedback through use of the (beta) builder, so please head on over the beta page and configure your preferred download of Modernizr.

Looking beyond the beta, our road map for Modernizr already includes specifics for a 2.1 release. We’re committed to getting Modernizr 2 finished and out in the open as soon as possible, and will have more announcements for you in the near future. For now, enjoy the beta and have a fantastic 2011!